The 2020 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m. ET with the first pick of the first round in Las Vegas. Only the first round takes place Thursday; the second round begins Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. ET, immediately followed by the third round. The final four rounds begin at noon on Saturday, April 25.

For the second consecutive year, all seven rounds of the draft will be televised on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

Where is the 2020 NFL Draft?

Las Vegas (technically, Paradise, Nevada) hosts its first NFL Draft in 2020, having been named the hosting city in December 2018. The main stage will be adjacent to the Caesar's Palace hotel, and the red carpet will be at the Bellagio Hotel.

With the Raiders relocating to the Sin City in the fall, Las Vegas is a logical choice for the draft, which will theoretically help build hype in the city and help establish a football culture.

“We look forward to working with the Raiders, Las Vegas officials and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to create an unforgettable week-long celebration of football for our fans, the incoming prospects and partners," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement announcing Las Vegas would host the draft.

"The Raiders are very excited for Las Vegas and are proud to help host the 2020 NFL Draft,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said in the announcement.

Below are the previous locations of the NFL Draft.

Draft

Location

City

1936

Ritz-Carlton

Philadelphia

1937

Hotel Lincoln

New York

1938

Hotel Sherman

Chicago

1939

Hotel New Yorker

New York

1940

Schroeder Hotel

Milwaukee

1941

Willard Hotel

Washington, D.C.

1942-44

Palmer House

Chicago

1945-47

Hotel Commodore

New York

1948

Hotel Fort Pitt

Pittsburgh

1949-50

Bellevue-Stratford Hotel

Philadelphia

1951

Blackstone Hotel

Chicago

1952

Hotel Statler

New York

1953-54

Bellevue-Stratford Hotel

Philadelphia

1955

Warwick Hotel

New York

1956

Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (Rounds 1-3)

Philadelphia

​

Ambassador Hotel (Rounds 4-30)

Los Angeles

1957

Warwick Hotel (Rounds 1-4)

Philadelphia

​

Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (Rounds 5-30)

Philadelphia

1958-61

Warwick Hotel

Philadelphia

1962-64

Sheraton Hotel

Chicago

1965-66

Summit Hotel

New York

1967

Hotel Gotham

New York

1968-71

Belmont Plaza Hotel

New York

1972

Essex House

New York

1973-74

Americana Hotel

New York

1975

Hilton Hotel

New York

1976-78

Roosevelt Hotel

New York

1979

Waldorf

New York

1980-83

Sheraton Hotel

New York

1984-85

Omni Park Central Hotel

New York

1986-94

Marriott Marquis

New York

1995-04

Theatre at Madison Square Garden

New York

2005

Jacob Javits Convention Center

New York

2006-14

Radio City Music Hall

New York

2015-16

Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University

Chicago

2017

Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia

2018

AT&T Stadium

Dallas​

2019

Lower Broadway

Nashville

What time does the NFL Draft start?

The start time for the 2020 NFL Draft is 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 23. That night, the entire first round of the 2020 NFL Draft will play out, but only the first round.

The start time for the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft is 7 p.m. ET on Friday. Round 3 of the NFL Draft will also play out Friday night. The start time for Saturday's coverage of the NFL Draft, which includes Rounds 4-7, is noon ET.

Day

Rounds

Start time

Thursday

Round 1

8 p.m. ET

Friday

Rounds 2-3

7 p.m. ET

Saturday

Rounds 4-7

Noon ET

On Thursday, teams get 10 minutes to make their selection. On Friday, they get seven. For the next three rounds, the time limit is five minutes, and the final round puts teams on a four-minute clock. If the clock runs out before a selection is made, the team doesn't lose its pick and can make it later, but the draft moves on, so the next team could theoretically take the player the prior team was considering.

That process and timing means the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night will last roughly three hours. Rounds 2-3 on Friday night will last roughly four hours, and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday will last roughly six hours.

NFL Draft TV schedule

ABC, ESPN and NFL Network will broadcast the 2020 NFL Draft, with each network showing all seven rounds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

For the first two nights, ABC — the main broadcaster of the draft — produces its own telecast for the ABC audience, separate from ESPN and NFL Network. For the third straight year, ABC will simulcast ESPN's presentation on Day 3.

The prime-time NFL Draft coverage on ABC will be anchored by ESPN's "College GameDay" crew, with other ESPN and ABC personalities being part of the ABC presentation. The telecasts on ESPN and NFL Network will feature largely the same analysis those networks have utilized for years.

Below is a breakdown of the schedule for 2020 NFL Draft coverage on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.